The Ekiti House of Assembly has called for a thorough investigation into the death of Oladimeji Aloba, a hip-hop musician popularly known as Mohbad.

The assembly made the call on Wednesday while deliberating on a motion by Babatunde Oke, the lawmaker representing Ikere Constituency I.

Mr Oke, who moved the motion under a matter of urgent public importance, said it was pertinent to unravel the circumstances behind Mohbad’s death.

There is a need for a thorough investigation on this issue. We are hearing different stories; we need to know what happened,” Mr Oke said.

Supporting the motion, Babatunde Odowu, representing Ikere Constituency 2, described Mohbad’s death as untimely and a huge loss.

In his speech, the Speaker Adeoye Aribasoye said the musician’s death hugely pained the assembly.”

The situation calls for sober reflection; the entertainer’s death is a big blow to us. We need to ensure that justice is done,” he said.

He prayed to God to grant the family and admirers of the late musician the fortitude to bear the loss.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos Command, says that no fewer than 75 persons died in Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) in the state between January and August.

Babatunde Farinloye, the state sector commander of FRSC, told journalists on Wednesday that 1,611 persons were involved in crashes within the period under review.

Mr Farinloye said there were 102 minor accident cases and 158 severe cases during the period.

He said the command had deployed 324 personnel to its checkpoints to ensure safety within the last eight months.

He added that the command recorded 53,564 offences, with 44,269 offenders within the period.

The sector commander emphasised the need for motorists and pedestrians to imbibe a safety culture to reduce the fatality index in RTCs.

Regarding the Ember months, Mr Farinloye said, “Nothing differs between the months of January to August and these so-called ember months than the changes in our consciousness and attitude about safety.

“Only that socioeconomic, cultural and religious engagements are on the increase, resulting in an upsurge of vehicular movement and careless attitudes.

“So the FRSC’s concern at all times is bringing down the rate of RTCs.”

He said the 2023 campaign for safety for the rainy season and ember months had kicked off with the theme: “Speed Thrills, It Kills, Drive Responsibly And Avoid Overloading.”

Mr Farinloye said the campaign would go around the state and the entire country, adding that responsible drivers would always keep to regulated speed limits and ensure their vehicles are routinely maintained.

The Department of Development Control, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has set up a seven-man committee to prevent building collapse in the federal capital.

The director of the department, Mukhtar Galadima, told journalists after the committee’s inauguration in Abuja on Wednesday that the move was part of proactive measures to address incessant building collapse.

“We don’t have to wait for another building to collapse before we act. That is why we set up the committee to help investigate structures that are not structurally stable for human habitation.

“The committee will be looking out for structures that visually may look stable but not, and recommend an integrity test,” Mr Galadima said.

He added that the committee would also make recommendations on reducing the incidence of building collapse to the barest minimum in the FCT.

He said the committee would equally recommend who to be engaged to conduct the integrity test.

According to him, the committee comprises representatives from the Council for Registered Engineers of Nigeria, Town Planners Registration Council and Builders Registration Council.

Others are the National Institute of Building and Road Research Institute and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, among others.

Describing the task as a “national call, ” the director said that the committee had two months to deliver on the task at the first instance.

Mr Galadima warned that any official of the department involved in sharp practices would be dealt with in accordance with the civil service rule and other extant laws.

The chairman of the committee, Allabeh Ndirmbula, said the reasons for building collapse were many – materials, construction, design, misuse, quackery, ageing and disaster, among several other factors.

Mr Ndirmbula, a former president of the Town Planners Registration Council, said the committee would work to address, with a focus on Phase 1 area of the FCT, namely Wuse 1 and 2, Garki and Asokoro.

Also, Ajibade Adeyinka, secretary of the committee, described the building industry as a “complex industry”.

A 26-year-old Nigerian man has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment in the UK for dealing drugs.

The man identified as Olusegun Babalola, was arrested on Friday, May 19, 2023, after police raided his home in Whitsed Street, Eastfield, as part of an operation into drug dealing and exploitation in Peterborough.

Following months of intelligence gathering, police evidenced Babalola had been involved in supplying crack cocaine and heroin in the city as part of a “county lines” operation.

The morning police raided his home, officers found more than £7,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine wraps hidden within a tissue box on the kitchen worktop.

Other drug paraphernalia, including small weighing scales and multiple mobile phones – one of which was later confirmed to be the “deal line” for the county line – were found in the one-bedroom flat, along with a considerable amount of designer clothing and footwear.

He appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday, September 15, where he was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison after previously admitting five counts of supplying crack cocaine, being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine, and possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Tunisian security units have arrested 1,200 people of different nationalities who planned to cross the Mediterranean to Europe illegally, local media reported.

“The arrest operations were carried out by National Guard units during a security campaign in the southeastern province of Sfax to stop the illegal immigration waves,” Houcemeddine Jbabli, spokesman for the Tunisian National Guard, said.

He added that the security units also arrested a number of organisers of the trips across the sea and seized wooden boats.

The security campaign carried out on Saturday on the island of Kerkennah in Sfax province witnessed an aerial operation with the participation of many special security units and rapid intervention teams.

The campaign was carried out against the backdrop of the coast of the province becoming a major starting point for illegal immigrants as they tried to sneak into the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The island of Lampedusa, the usual first stop by illegal immigrants on their sea voyage to Italy, is only about 80km from the Tunisian coasts.

This is a before and after photo of Matthew Aderoju, aka DJ Splash, who at some point was one of Marlian Records’ in-house DJs.

DJ Splash, also known as Ash Splash, won DJ Consequence’s DJ competition in 2020.

In the months after, he was introduced to Naira Marley, who signed him to Marlian Records.

According to reports, DJ Splash was introduced to drugs after he moved into his label’s HQ.

He then started having mental issues and reached out to his family. He was subsequently sent away by the label after his family started asking questions.

When his mum came to pick him up from Marlian Music HQ, he was a shadow of his old self. He’s since been home, unable to work.

People are now demanding justice for DJ Splash.

The Kebbi government on Monday distributed relief materials to victims of bandits’ attacks from seven villages of Sokoto and Kebbi.

Two villages were attacked in Kebbi and five in Sokoto.

The displaced villagers are seeking refuge in Jarkuka village in Arewa LGA of Kebbi.

Information commissioner Yakubu Ahmed-BK said the affected villages were on the borders of the two states.

“We are in this village on behalf of His Excellency, Governor Nasir Idris, to distribute relief materials to displaced victims of bandits’ attacks. The governor, upon receiving the news of the attack around this axis of border villages between Kebbi and Sokoto state, swang into action,” Mr Ahmed-Bk explained.

The commissioner added, “We have a situation where thousands of displaced persons from the attacked areas trooped into this village and other surrounding villages for safety.”

Mr Ahmed-Bk also mentioned that “relief materials include thousands of bags of millet, rice and beans as well as mats, detergents, buckets, and seasoning among others, as emergency measures to ameliorate the suffering of these people.”

Mr Ahmed-BK said the victims were largely from Sokoto “yet, as the government of the people, by the people and for the people, the governor directed that all the affected victims be treated equally.”

“We want to reach out to as many people as possible as it is not possible to satisfy all. I want people to understand that this is just the beginning; the governor sent us as an emergency team to offer relief to the victims,” the commissioner noted.

“So, we will now go back with the report of what we’ve seen. The situation is so pathetic. We have quite a number of displaced women and children.”

He added, “We will go back, write a report to the governor and we anticipate more relief will come their way insha Allah.”

The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has said the force will look into the petition made by the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba aka MohBad against music promoter Samson Balogun, aka Sam Larry.

A petition written by late MohBad over an alleged threat to life by Sam Larry and others, surfaced online days after the singer’s death.

The petition alleged that Sam Larry and 15 others stormed a video shoot where the deceased and another artiste, Zlatan Ibile, were working, and wreaked havoc.

Sharing a copy of the petition on his X page on Tuesday, the FPRO tweeted,

“We will look into the alleged police negligence on this case.

“The Lagos Annex, Force Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police Force, Zone 2, Alagbon, to whom the letter was addressed, had revealed that it had invited Sam Larry and others, following the receipt of the June 27 petition, but MohBad was absent.

Commenting on this claim, Adejobi added, “We also need to know why he declined the invitation or appearance at the office. So many things to find out and clarify. And all will be done.

“MohBad’s death was announced on Tuesday, September 12.

The calls for justice continued Tuesday following the untimely death of Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka MohBad.

Earlier, PUNCH Online reported that youth activists in Delta State staged a protest on Monday, demanding justice for the ‘Peace’ crooner.

Marching with placards with inscriptions like ‘#JusticeForMohbad’, ‘Keep resting Imole, and ‘RIP Ilerioluwa Aloba,’ the youth activists simultaneously rained curses on show promoter Samson Eletu, aka Sam Larry, fingered in the singer’s death.

MohBad died on Monday, September 11, at the age of 27.

No fewer than eight security agents comprising soldiers, policemen and Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps have been killed by gunmen in Imo State.

The incident which happened on Tuesday morning in Umualumaku community, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state has thrown the area into panic.

The joint security taskforce team who were in two security trucks were ambushed and set ablaze by their attackers.

None of them survived as they were burnt inside their operational vehicles.

A security operative who doesn’t want to be mentioned told our correspondent that reinforcement teams had been sent to the scene of the crime with the intent to arrest the suspects and rescue the corpses of the slain security operative.

A resident in the community who do not want to reveal his identity for security said that he saw the security agents a few minutes before they were set ablaze.

He said that the community had been thrown into confusion, owing to the development.

Our correspondent saw a video clip of the attack as the security agents set ablaze in the two vehicles.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, confirmed the development but asked for time to get the full details of the horrible incident.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has demanded a Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad.

Falana made the demand following the controversial death of Mohbad, who d!ed on September 12, 2023 and was laid to rest the next day.

The demand was contained in a letter to the Chief Coroner, High Court of Lagos State in Ikeja.In the letter, Falana said his law firm was aware of the “very tragic death” of Mohbad and wanted an inquest to “be conducted into the cause of death of this young promising musician and make appropriate recommendations pursuant to Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007 which provides that an inquest shall hold whenever a coroner is informed that the death of a deceased person within his Coroner District is as a result of a death in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation”.

The request, signed by Folakemi Falana and dated September 18, 2023, added:

“We hereby request Your Lordship to conduct an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death in Lagos State and we are confident that Your Lordship will accede to our request with utmost urgency.”

Instagram celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha aka Mompha, has taken to his page to react after a Lagos Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja, on Monday, September 18, admitted as evidence a Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) report on him and his iPhone being used for fraudulent practices.

Guardian reports that the trial judge, Mojisola Dada, admitted the report during Mompha’s trial in absentia, on alleged money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Recall that the EFCC, had on January 22,2022, arraigned Mompha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment, on an eight-count charge of N6 billion money laundering.

When the charges were read to him then, Mompha pleaded not guilty to all the counts and was granted bail, but the court later revoked the bail due to his absence at the trial.

At the resumed trial, EFCC’s counsel, Sulaiman Suleiman, who led the FBI’s agent, Ayorinde Solademi in evidence, tendered documents, which included a letter by the EFCC to the United States of America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a report by the Bureau.

However, the defendant’s counsel, Kolawole Salami, objected to the admissibility of the documents from the United States Consulate without certification.

Salami adrgued that the documents are not certified true copies, hence, should not be admitted.

The trial judge, however, overruled Salami, and upheld the position of the prosecution that the documents were original, and require no certification.

While being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Solademi, who works at the Legal Attaché Office of the FBI in Nigeria, told the court that he retrieved an iPhone belonging to Mompha with a Faraday bag.

According to him, the FBI’s forensic operations revealed that Mompha’s iPhone was used in sending account details to a United Arab Emirates (UAE) telephone number, searching for Swift Codes of a bank and had a compromised Microsoft 365 account.

Mompha took to IG this morning to react.

St. David Cathedral, Kudeti, Ibadan in Oyo State is set to celebrate its 170th anniversary.

The church has also announced a series of activities to celebrate the anniversary in grand style. Amongst the anniversary activities is the packaging of the church’s history for preservation.

The Mogaji of Aboderin compound in Ibadanland and Chairman of the 170th-anniversary committee, Chief Olutunde Aboderin, on Monday, disclosed this while speaking at a press conference in Ibadan, the state capital on Monday.

He said the essence of the celebration was to package the history of Christianity in the ancient town for posterity and to leave a legacy for future generations.

He said, “This anniversary is to package history for posterity. If we don’t do this, we will have thrown away a great legacy that we should give to future generations. By the special grace of God, the church of God will continue to match on.

“We are here to showcase that Christianity started in Ibadan, from this place. It is a pride of the entire Ibadanland and a pride of the Yoruba race. We were told that it was under that tree that the first gospel was preached on April 27, 1853. I have been to so many parts of the world and I want to say this, in Hong Kong, you have trees on the road and when they were planted you dare not take a leaf from them without being arrested.

“There is a storey building here in Ibadanland which was built in 1853, the first storey building in the entire Ibadanland, not many people know that. Actually, this building should rank with the ones in Badagry and Abeokuta and should be a place that the state and Federal Government should take over and maintain as they do in other parts of the world,” he said.

Not fewer than three lives have been lost as a result of flood in some parts of Jos metropolis in Plateau State.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Gangere, Rikkos, Bauchi road and Eto-Baba communities, of Jos North Local Government Area were flooded as a result of heavy rains on Sunday and Monday that lasted for many hours.

The Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Eugene Nyenlong, told NAN that his agency got a distress call that three persons had died as a result of the flood.

Nyenlong said that NEMA and other stakeholders were going to the affected communities to assess the situation.

“As I speak to you, we are moving to the scene with other stakeholders to have an on-the-spot assessment of the disaster, and also carry out advocacy visits.

“From the information before us, three persons have lost their lives from the flood that has become a recurring decimal in those areas. I appeal to the Plateau State Government to take stringent measures to ensure that the people vacate the flood-prone areas.

“If the people do not want to move out permanently, they can vacate the areas during the rainy season and return during the dry season,” he advised.

According to the zonal coordinator, there is a tributary that connects the communities and makes them susceptible to flood.

Fifty scholars of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, have been announced as winners of the N25m 2023 academic research grant.

A statement by the university said the grant was facilitated by ACU Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Olutoyin Okeowo.

It added that they would undertake research work in agriculture, humanities, engineering, and other fields of the discipline.

It read, “The grant is part of the university’s efforts to aid the discovery of new ideas, concepts, study, and academic excellence.

“Grouped into 10 groups, the list released by the university indicated that one of the research teams, which is led by Prof. Wahab Akanbi of the Department of Agriculture, will look at the use of cashew apple wastes for the production of organic fertilisers and bio-pesticides.

In another research work, Dr Simon Okanlawon of the Department of Architecture, ACU, will lead six other scholars as they explore the relevance of rural architecture in a sustainable agricultural settlement in Oyo State.

According to the list, another group of researchers headed by Dr Moses Adebayo of the Department of Agriculture will assess elite maize genotypes for new product pipeline development for the university’s seed company.

Other areas of research to be covered are engineering, humanities, natural sciences, arts, communications, and media studies.

The university said each of the 10 groups of researchers would receive a grant from the pool of N25m facilitated by the council chairman.

Professor Adewale Dipeolu of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has said that over 3,000,000 people stand to benefit from an agricultural app that will soon be developed as part of digital technology measures to combat the effects of climate change on agriculture by farmers, especially those in remote part of the country.

Dipeolu, who is the team leader of the Digital Financial Solutions for Farmers in Remote Communities Project, made this call while speaking at a two-day European Union-funded workshop held at FUNAAB to discuss the findings of the group’s baseline study on the effects of climate change on agriculture in remote communities in Imo, Ogun, and Kwara states.

The workshop had in attendance 40 stakeholders in agriculture drawn from government institutions, technical and vocational training schools specialising in agriculture, research institutes and governmental technology agencies.

He said Nigeria’s agricultural sector had been grappling with numerous challenges, exacerbated by climate change, erratic rainfall, erosion, pest and disease outbreaks, and insecurity issues, such as farmer-herder clashes and that these adversities had left farmers vulnerable, particularly those residing in remote rural areas.

He said;

“We did a baseline study in three states of Imo, Ogun and Kwara states. We are here now to discuss the findings of the baseline study. We went to the field to see if farmers were aware of these digital solutions to climate change. What are the challenges farmers face with climate change? If they use these digital provisions, is it affordable for them? Do they understand what they are trying to do to give them digital solutions and so on?.

“After this workshop, we’ll collate all challenges we found in the field, which will guide us to develop an application that will be made available to farmers in the country, beginning with those in Imo, Ogun and Kwara states.

“We hope that the app will assist the farmers in their day-to-day activities. We hope that it will also help them to go into other livelihood activities and so on. That’s the essence of this particular workshop.

“This app will be translated into three languages: Yoruba, Igbo and Fulani/Hausa for farmers in the country to be able to use it effectively.

“The primary beneficiaries of this initiative encompass rural farmers, with particular emphasis on women and young involved in farming.

“Additionally, local authorities, telecoms providers, and officials in various Nigerian localities stand to benefit from specialised training in digital solutions, which will promote sustainable agricultural practices and offer alternative livelihoods for rural farmers, enabling them to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.

The ultimate beneficiaries of this project are expected to exceed 3,000,000 individuals residing in rural communities.

“The project focuses on educating farmers about innovative agricultural practices through e-learning platforms that promote sustainable farming techniques. By equipping farmers with the knowledge to embrace new digital solutions, against the backdrop of climate change, the project seeks to address the vulnerability experienced by farmers, particularly those residing in rural communities and remote areas.”

Youth activists gathered at Effurun Roundabout, Delta State, on Monday to demand justice in the death of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka MohBad.

MohBad died on Monday, September 11, at the age of 27.

Youths in the now-viral video marched on Monday with placards chanting, “Say no to Marlian music, we need justice.

“The protest is coming hours after the Lagos State Police Command set up a 13-man special investigation team to probe MohBad’s death.

MohBad was a signee of Marlian Music, owned by artiste Afeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley.

French man sentenced for international tax scheme

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA –

Ayodele Arasokun, age 46, of Paris, France, was sentenced today in West Virginia to 34 years in federal prison for orchestrating an international tax scheme.

Arakosun was convicted by a jury in October 2022 of twenty-one counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Arasokun coordinated a scheme to file 1,701 false returns and claim $9.1 million in refunds, with West Virginia residents among the victims.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Arasokun had the money transferred to prepaid debit cards and checking accounts that he was monitoring.

The investigation revealed approximately 700 U.S.-based accounts containing more than $50 million were being tracked by the defendant.

A total of $2.2 million in fraudulent refunds were actually paid by the Internal Revenue Service.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Cogar and Eleanor Hurney.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) – Cybercrime Investigations Division, and the IRS-CI, Los Angeles field office investigated.

TIGTA investigates abuses of the IRS’s online electronic portals, including the Electronic Filing Pin application, which was compromised in this case.U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

Researchers have highlighted gender disparity in administering life-saving CPR to individuals experiencing cardiac arrests in public settings.

Their findings, yet to undergo peer review but will be discussed in Spain at a medical conference, shed light on the reluctance of onlookers to provide CPR to women compared to men during these emergencies.

To understand the reasons behind the gender gap in CPR administration, one theory proposed by the researchers is that bystanders in public settings may feel uncomfortable providing chest compressions, which unavoidably involve touching a woman’s chest, without obtaining prior consent.

Additionally, the research team explored whether age factors into bystander behaviour in these critical situations.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a critical procedure involving mouth-to-mouth respiration and chest compressions, can effectively sustain oxygen flow to the brain in cases where the heart has stopped beating, potentially averting fatalities until professional medical assistance arrives.

The investigation delved into the divergent approaches taken by bystanders when applying CPR to both genders.

It involved an extensive examination of cardiac arrest cases outside healthcare facilities in the United States and Canada over the ten years from 2005 to 2015, encompassing almost 40,000 patients.

The results revealed that 54 per cent of these patients received CPR assistance from a bystander.

However, in cardiac arrests in public spaces, such as on the street, only 61 per cent of women received CPR from bystanders.

In comparison, 68 per cent of men in similar situations benefited from bystander intervention.

Alexis Cournoyer, an emergency physician from Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal and the lead researcher, stated that the disparity heightened the mortality risk for women following a cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrests rank among the leading causes of death, with over 350,000 occurrences annually in the U.S. alone, according to the American Heart Association.

“He is a dirty father who should be locked up for life as his conduct is disgracing.

“The defendant is found guilty as charged and he is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the two charges,” she said.

Ms Soladoye also ordered that the convict’s name should be registered in the sexual offences register of Lagos State.

The Lagos State counsel, Olufunke Adegoke, presented five witnesses while the convict testified as a sole witness during the trial.

Ms Adegoke submitted that the convict committed the offences between 2008 and 2017 at No. 2 Agbeke St. by Iyana-Era Bus Stop, Ijanikin, Lagos.

Child defilement violates Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

He said they had planned to enforce the sit-at-home order when a joint security team busted their hideouts.

“A joint security team, comprising police operatives of the Enugu State Command, NPF Special Forces, and Troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army Enugu, acting on credible intelligence, busted the criminal hideout of IPOB/ESN subversive criminal elements.

“The criminal elements were already perfecting plans to enforce the illegal sit-at-home order in the state.

“Three of the hoodlums, who opened fire on the joint team upon sighting them, were neutralised, while several others escaped with severe degrees of gunshot wounds in the ensuing gunfight,” Mr Ndukwe said, noting that a search had begun for the fleeing hoodlums.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, while commending the joint team, reassured of the security and safety of citizens and urged them to go about their lawful businesses in the state.

The commissioner reiterated the avowed commitment of the police and other security forces to sustain the onslaught against unrepentant violent criminals operating under any guise.